Welcome back to the blog everyone!
It’s hard to believe that the trip is only two days away… I’m certainly counting down the days, and there aren’t that many obstacles left to overcome in order to get there!
So, while I am bunkered down here at college, studying vigorously for my Exams, let’s talk about my Georgia Spring-Break Trip shall we?
I have technically visited Georgia before, but only on a layover flight from Philadelphia to get back home to Texas, at the Atlanta Hartsfeld-Jackson International Airport (actually the busiest airport in the entire world!). Spring-Break was the perfect opportunity to fit in a 1- week trip with my dad to visit some of it’s special historical sites (unfortunately, my mom could not come with us due to other matters)!
The four stars that you can see on this Google Maps Image are the four towns/cities that we visited at some point. I’ll go over each of them now, with the places we visited!
Atlanta (Northmost star): The capital of Georgia, Atlanta is rich with History and culture, and is both an epicenter for international and national affairs! It was here that our hotel was located, and it was in the general vicinity of Atlanta that most of our time was spent. Some of the iconic places that we visited included:
- The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum: The official Library/Museum of Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States. One of the Main 13 Presidential Libraries, this facility is also home to “The Carter Center”, one of the most prominant humanity/charity foundations in the world.
- Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site: The prominent Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s roots were based here in Atlanta, and this site includes his birthplace home, the famous Ebeneezer Baptist Church, “The King Center”, and Dr. King’s Tomb. (Editor’s Note: Since this post’s release, the MLK National Historic Site has been reconverted into a “National Historical Park”.)
- Georgia State Capitol: Home to the state government of Georgia, this building is rich with history and politics, and a monument to prominant Georgians in America’s long story.
- Georgia Aquarium: One of the largest aquariums in the world, The Georgia Aquarium is also known for having one of the largest saltwater tanks in the world!
- World of Coca-Cola: The official Museum for the popular soft-drink, this facility is filled with Coca-Cola lore and memorabilia, and details it’s history from it’s start in the 1880’s, to the present day.
- National Center for Civil and Human Rights: A special museum dedicated to the struggles and accomplishments of minorities around the world who strove for Civil Rights.
- Atlanta History Center: Similar to the Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History, this massive complex showcases the proud history of Georgia, and is also home to a rare Cyclorama, which depicts the legendary Civil War conflict, “The Battle of Georgia”.
Warm Springs (Next star below Atlanta): Warm Springs is primarily known for being the location of the “Little White House”, the summer retreat of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and where he treated his polio in the warm waters nearby. He died of a massive stroke at this place on April 12th, 1945.
Andersonville (second southernmost star): Andersonville National Historic Site was home to perhaps the largest Prisoner of War camp in the Civil War, where over 5,000 Union Soldiers and other prisoners died due to the poor conditions. The site of today’s time contains The field where the prison camp was located, the “National Prisoner of War Museum”, and a massive cemetery where many of the prisoners were buried.
Plains (Southernmost star): This very tiny town is the current home of President Jimmy Carter, as well as the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, which encompasses much of the 39th President’s early and present life.
Going over each of the towns that we visited in great detail would be very exhausting, so I will just separate each town into different pictures, by the days that we visited each. I’ll show the most prominant photos in our trip EXCEPT anything related to Plains, which I will post on a later date (likely next weekend.)
Day 1: Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and MLK National Historic Site
Carter Library:
The front of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library (I took the traditional picture of me holding up my presidential passport here, but I cannot seem to find it).
The large rotunda located in the Exhibit Hallways. The Carter Library was actually very extensive! Jimmy Carter, for his flaws, was still probably one of our most underrated presidents, especially considering his background.
A nearly identical replica of the Oval Office as it was during the Carter Administration. Seeing each of these replicas at the different libraries is cool, as there are different arrangements of furniture and colors that are provided in each.
Jimmy Carter’s 2002 Nobel Peace Prize! He had won this due to his tremendous work through “The Carter Center”, “Habitat for Humanity”, and various other roles as an ambassador of Human Rights.
MLK National Historic Site:
Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. was born in this very house, on January 15th, 1929.
And this is the inside of the nearby “Ebeneezer Baptist Church” where he and his father, Dr. Martin Luther King Sr., preached sermons. This likely helped the younger Dr. King hone his oratorical, and lend special emotion and depth to his speeches.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s actual Nobel Peace Prize! He won this in 1964 for his work in promoting Civil Rights for African-Americans. We had actually seen two Nobel Peace Prizes on that same day: Jimmy Carter’s, and MLK’s.
The Plaza of the King Center, featured with an incredible pool with one of Dr. King’s most famous quotes: “We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
The tomb of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and his wife Coretta Scott King. It was a very solemn spot with dozens of people watching it.
Day 2: Jimmy Carter National Historic Site and Andersonville National Historic Site
As I am saving Plains for next weekend, I’ll just show Andersonville for this day.
Andersonville National Historic Site:
The “National Prisoner of War Museum” was actually dedicated to all the Prisoners of War in the various conflicts of the United States, from the Civil War, to both World Wars, and to Korea, Vietnam, and the skirmishes of the Middle-East.
Just one perspective of the massive field where the massive Prison Camp was located.
Memorials still dot this place, and the road circumvents the entire plot of the Camp. The White markers strewn down the field is where the palisade wall was located.
A small recreation of the tents and wall of the Prison Camp. Things were very unsanitary here, and dysentery was the doom of both soldiers and prisoners alike.
The cemetery was packed with so many white tombstones of soldiers that were reminiscent of Arlington National Cemetery.
However, even Arlington Cemetery’s headstones were not as packed closely together as they were here, where it would just seem to be a gigantic sea of white… it was very moving either way.
Day 3: “The Little White House” and the Georgia State Capitol.
It really is a “Little White House”…. FDR often retreated here in Warm Springs in order to treat his polio. Having only a few rooms, it was here that Roosevelt died in 1945.
One of his trademark wheelchairs (which was very narrow), and some of his leg braces! He had several of these at key locations where he would need them, such as in Warm Springs, The White House, or his home in Hyde Park, New York.
FDR’s bathing suit that he wore when he swam in the warm waters of the retreat! The picture behind it is him wearing it, having a great time as he played with boys and girls who were also diagnosed with polio.
The study room inside the Little White House. It was at the desk on the left that Roosevelt had his fatal stroke, while he was posing for a portrait.
And in this room, was the very place where FDR breathed his last… a death that truly shook the nation to it’s core in shock and horror…
These now empty pools are where FDR swam with many children and other patients to treat his polio.
Warm Springs, a poor settlement in it’s early days, and the common people in poverty that FDR had come to known so well, was where he had become inspired to pass many of the landslide legislation bills that he issued in his “New Deal.” It was quite a fascinating story to learn about, for Roosevelt was truly one of the greatest communication presidents.
This famed painting, known as the “Unfinished Portrait”, was the very one that Roosevelt was posing for when he collapsed during his stroke. It has become a testament to the exaustion and stress that he endured during the Great Depression and World War II.
Georgia State Capitol:
In case you were wondering, that actually is a dome made of gold! It is always fascinating to see other state capitols, but this one is naturally nowhere as big as the Texas State Capitol in Austin is.
This special plaza commemorates Georgia’s status as one of the original 13 colonies. One of the 53 copies of the Liberty Bell rests in the center of the plaza, and the names of the Georgia Delegation signers of the Declaration of Independence are inscribed on the wall behind.
A statue of President Jimmy Carter, the only president to hail from Georgia. He was previously Governor, and had served in this same building.
A panoramic of one of the large halls of the Georgia State Capitol (sorry for the morph in the middle).
Here is the Georgia Senate Chamber…
And here is the Georgia House of Representatives chamber!
Day 4: World of Coca-Cola, National Center for Human and Civil Rights, and Georgia Aquarium
All three buildings were on the same plot of land, crazy!
This is the World of Coca-Cola, the official museum of the most popular soft-drink in the world!
Coca-Cola memorabilia everywhere… ever since it’s creation in the 1880’s, Coca-Cola has become an integral part in American Culture.
My favorite part of the museum was this area! Coca-Cola brand drinks from all over the world! Each station had drinks from a different continent, and one could try an apple drink from Chile (shoutout to my friend Martin in Santiago!), and walk a few steps away to another stall that had cucumber-flavored Sprite from Russia (What even…)! Of course, my favorite was the Golden Peaks Sweet Tea from North America!
The National Center for Human and Civil Rights focused on many struggles in the name of Human Rights, including the Civil Rights Movement of the 50’s and 60’s, and advancements towards gender, racial, and social equality.
The outside of the Georgia Aquarium, which was absolutely massive!
One of the largest salt-water aquarium tanks in the world! Mere photos couldn’t capture the true scale of it. One could see fish and other creatures of all kinds, from stingrays, to turtles, sharks, and many others.
Many other exhibits in the museum also showcased Penguins, puffins, otters, jellyfish, shrimp, and who knows how many other aquatic animals!
Centennial Olympic Park was a brief spot on that day, where the Summer Olympics were once held! It was a brief stop mainly because a large marathon event was going to be held the next day, and as such was crowded with barriers and pavilions.
Day 5: Atlanta History Center (None of the pictures here are my own).
The outer facade of the building.
The building had a fantastic Civil War Exhibit, which had a giant collection of Confederate and Union relics!
The “Texas” was a famous train utilized in a legendary chase across the train-tracks to catch Union Spies during the Civil War. It’s a prime of example of what types of trains were used all those years ago.
The Cyclorama of the Battle of Atlanta is one of only two in the entire country (the other is in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. A Cyclorama is basically a 360′ painting, and this particular one portrays the Battle of Atlanta, a major conflict in the Civil War.
Looking from an observation deck, one can observe the immense scale of the battle, which was reported to have made both Union and Confederate soldiers cry upon seeing it at it’s unveiling.
Again, no photo could properly capture the scale of the painting, and these generic photos can’t do it justice with it’s low quality.
And that my friends, is my Georgia Spring-Break Trip in a nutshell! It was very fun and fascinating, and, I got to meet an actual U.S. President!
What? I haven’t mentioned that yet? Well… It’s a long story… too long in fact, to tell it all in this post. That is why next weekend, I will dedicate the entire post to visiting Plains, Georgia, and meeting President Jimmy Carter himself!
Thank you all so much for visiting my blog, and i’ll see you next week!
Mark's Historical Roadtrips! 